Śivasaṃhitā 2.48

The paradox reaches its sharpest point here: even sākṣātkāriṇi — direct perception, immediate vision — can harbor vibhrama (illusion, error). The «particular vision» (vaiśeṣadṛṣṭi) that distinguishes and differentiates objects is not in itself liberating; it can coexist with fundamental confusion about the nature of perceiver and perceived.

Sākṣāt (literally «before one’s own eyes», «directly», from sa + akṣa, eye) is the adverb designating direct, unmediated experience. Vaiśeṣa (particular, specific, differential) recalls the Vaiśeṣika philosophical school, which classifies reality into distinct categories. Vibhrama (error, illusion, confusion, also «spinning motion») suggests a displacement of vision from reality.

The verse points to a subtle trap on the spiritual path: ordinary perceptual clarity — seeing things «as they are» in an empirical sense — does not equate to realization of the manifesting principle (prakāśaka). As long as differentiating vision persists without recognizing the unitary substrate, apparent multiplicity continues to veil underlying unity.